Issues in Public and Nonprofit Administration

Free the Immigrants

Immigration is the movement of people that relocate to a foreign country which they are not natives to or do not have a citizenship to settle or reside at that new location. Those people that cross the national border during their migration are considered immigrants or migrants. Most migrants leave their country for a variety of reasons, such as a poor economy, lack of resource, conflict or natural disasters, for medical assistance, education, freedom, opportunities, helping their family back home, or just simply to have a better life for themselves and for their family. America is known as the nation of immigrants starting from its original natives who crossed the land bridge connecting Asia to North America that happened tens of thousands years ago. In the 1600s, the Pilgrims came to North America in a search for religious freedom. Then in the 17th and 18th century, hundreds and thousands of Africans were forced to move to America for free labor. America experienced an overwhelming flow of immigrants moving to the United States from Northern and Western European in the early 19th century during the colonial era. The first U.S. immigration law was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese manual workers from entering the United States. Californians had pushed for the new law, blaming the Chinese, who were agreeable to working for less, for the decrease in salary. Today, for that comparable reason most Americans believe that immigrants are “stealing jobs” who are willing to work for less. The Immigration and Naturalization Act are the laws that govern the U.S. immigration policy. The law accepts 675,000 permanent immigrants every year with certain exceptions for close family members. Congress and the President decided a separate amount for refugee admissions. Donald Trump has already influenced the public by signing an immigration banning order on January 27, 2017. Immigration has tremendously affected the government and the people from the beginning to this very day.

Most of the citizens born in the United States believe that they are competing with illegal immigrants for jobs, which is not true at all. As reported by The Atlantic, illegal Immigrants and citizens of America with no high school degree are actually competing for different jobs. Americans with a low level of education tend to apply to jobs ranking from the most preferred to last choice which are a cashier, truck drivers, janitors, cooks, laborer movers, constructors, maids and housekeepers, grounds maintenance workers, waiters and waitresses, and lastly health workers. In contrary, Illegal immigrants first apply to being a maid or housekeeper then cooks, miscellaneous agricultural workers, construction workers, janitors, grounds maintenance workers, trucker drivers, laborer movers, carpenters, and lastly favored job cashier. Although the different jobs are somewhat overlapping, most of the occupations are different for the citizen and illegal immigrant workers. Matter of fact, according to Harvard labor economist George Borjas, he states that “Economic theory predicts that immigration will redistribute income by lowering the wages of competing American workers and increasing the wages of complementary American workers as well as profits for business owners and other “users” of immigrant labor.”Immigrants are good for the economy; they create jobs and make U.S. workers more prosperous.

The United States has an immigration law called the McCarran–Walter Act is also known as the immigration and Naturalization Act. The purpose of the law is to control the flow of immigrants coming to America. As I mentioned before, the law only admits 675,000 immigrants annually who are a family member and also refugees with a separate amount. Illegal immigrants should have the freedom to live their lives without fear of being deported back to their country. As ridiculous as it sounds, a person should not be considered “illegal” or an “alien”, they come to America for the same reason why we are in America. Immigrants want liberty to live their life. The world right now is going through a lot; children and people are dying, poverty is rising, as well as hunger. The last thing we need is a number to disapprove or approve a person from entering a country. I believe if people need help, we as a nation should unite and simply lend a hand. Helping others will help us as a nation grow to be a great influence on the world.

On January 27, 2017, Donald Trump signed an executive order that bars citizens of seven Muslim-majorities which are Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia countries from coming to the United States for the next 90 days and the admission of all refugees have been put on hold for 120 days. Is this order constitutional or as discrimination? Some say, the president has the authority to do so, but others are arguing that the order discriminates on the basis of religion, which I agree too. The order has divided families and the nation. Trump’s order has affected travelers such as nurses, doctors, scientists, and so many others. I myself am an immigrant that is a citizen of the United States that is being affected by this order. I am afraid that my cousins that raised me won’t be allowed to come to the United States even though they’re from Ethiopia. It shocks me and family that a president would separate a family. It’s outrageous and cruel because I know for a fact if the president had a family member from either of the countries he had banned people from coming into the United States, he would oppose of that order.

Overall, the people of the United States have a lot to learn about immigrants. The people need to see immigrants as people and understand their reasons to migrating to the United States, instead of quickly disapproving them because they are “stealing job”, overpopulating the nation, or because of their religion.

Like this:

Related

2 Responses

Great blog post! Americans do have a lot to learn about immigrants, even though we are an immigrant nation. While some reforms on the security check process do need to be reformed, this travel ban was not the way to go about it. It left vetted and those who would benefit the greater society stranded. We are the land of opportunities and immigration benefits our nation.

Good job. I agree with Toby. We have a lot to learn about immigrants. Immigration and certain liberties are what makes this country so great. We are the melting pot. Again like Toby mentioned, just because the security check process has failed us, that is no reason to ban immigration. All the immigrants are seeking is a better opportunity like the next man.